Honda City RS e:HEV – fifth-gen flagship hybrid to finally make its Malaysian market debut tomorrow

Honda Malaysia is finally set to give the City RS e:HEV its market debut. The range-topping model of the fifth-gen sedan in the local line-up was formally introduced when the City made its local debut in October last year, but at point of launch it had been announced that it was due to go on sale in January.

That of course never happened, the delay in introducing the hybrid being put down to some issues with pricing. This has finally been resolved, and we understand that the RS is due to have its Malaysian market introduction tomorrow, when pricing for the car will also be announced. The RS will sit atop a four model City range that includes the S, E and V petrol variants.

The arrival of the variant was hinted at in the press announcement on the Honda Connect vehicle telematics system, which was launched earlier today. It was mentioned that the system is making its local working debut on the City RS e:HEV from this month.

To recap, the RS e:HEV is powered by a intelligent multi-mode drive (i-MMD) powertrain. The hybrid system consists of a 98 PS/127 Nm 1.5 litre Atkinson-cycle i-VTEC four-cylinder engine, which does not power the car but functions mainly as a generator with the help of an integrated electric motor (which also acts as a starter).

A larger second motor, which churns out 109 PS and 253 Nm, provides propulsion. Because the electric motor mostly drives the car, the i-MMD system does away with a traditional gearbox, but the engine can provide direct drive at higher speeds using a lock-up clutch and a single-speed transmission, as it is more efficient than an electric motor at those speeds. More on the RS, including its price, when it is officially introduced.